“Who are you to do this? Why would anyone care what you have to say when there are so many experts out there?”
If you’ve ever had these questions running through your mind, you have met the next monster in the forest: the Sphinx. In mythology, the Sphinx is known to guard a road you want to travel, and for you to pass, it gives you a riddle that you have to solve.
In our personal journeys, this monster represents the voice of self-doubt. It traps us in a never-ending cycle of questioning the validity of our ideas and our potential for success. But the secret to passing the Sphinx isn’t having all the answers—it’s realizing that the riddle itself is often based on an outdated script.
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Uncovering the source of the self-doubt
Many of the doubts planted in our minds were inherited in childhood. We were raised by authority figures—parents, teachers, and mentors—who projected their own limitations and definitions of “safety” onto us. Often, we are still operating on a paradigm that says we must “stay safe” in a traditional career, even when we are being called to pave a new path.
To solve the riddle, you must first perform a belief stocktake:
- Identify the script: Sit down with a journal and write down everything you heard growing up about money, career, and success.
- The Marie Kondo method: Pick up each belief individually and ask: Does this serve me? Does this bring me joy? Is this helping?
- Recycle the narrative: If a belief is no longer useful, put it in the “recycle” pile to be replaced with a narrative that supports your expansion.
The 6 brands of imposter syndrome
Self-doubt often targets us through our specific “profile lines” in Human Design and the Gene Keys. These themes represent the six most common ways we experience self-doubt:
- Line 1: The fear that you don’t know enough yet and need to wait until you are an “expert”.
- Line 2: The struggle to see your own natural gifts as valuable because they come to you too easily.
- Line 3: The conviction that you are a “hot mess” and must hide your true self so people don’t see the “cracks”.
- Line 4: The fear of baring your soul and being rejected or humiliated.
- Line 5: The pressure of leadership and the fear that you won’t live up to others’ expectations.
- Line 6: The trap of “ivory tower” idealism, where you fear reality will never match your impossible standards.
Shrinking the Sphinx
The Sphinx loses its power when you shrink the scope. Self-doubt is loudest when we look at our “Point Z” (the end goal) and feel like a fraud. If you shift your focus to a micro-goal—like writing just one page or impacting just one person—the riddle becomes much easier to solve.
The Shapeshifter: Becoming a divine actor
To bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be, you must activate the Shapeshifter archetype. You are already an actor; you play different roles in different rooms every day.
Try this imagination exercise to shift your frequency:
“I wonder what it would feel like to…” Fill in the blank with your vision (e.g., “…be a published author” or “…be a confident leader”).
When you allow yourself to “try on” the feeling of that future version of you, your body remembers it. You aren’t tricking others; you are intentionally using your imagination to shift your frequency into alignment with your highest potential.
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Facing the Sphinx: Solving the Riddle of Self-Doubt
“Who would listen to you? Who would trust you? Why would anyone care what you have to say when there are so many experts out there?”
If you’ve ever had these questions running through your mind, you are officially meeting the next monster in our metaphorical forest: The Sphinx. In mythology, the Sphinx guards the road you want to travel and requires you to solve a riddle before you can pass. In the journey toward a bigger, bolder life, the Sphinx represents the monster of self-doubt.
While self-doubt is often posed as a logical or rational concern, it almost always stems from internal patterns. It’s the voice that asks, “Who am I to do this?” It tricks us into a trap of never-ending questions, forcing us to validate our ideas and potential for success against a mountain of “evidence” that says we’re being unrealistic.
The Belief Stocktake: Marie Kondo-ing Your Mind
Many of the doubts planted in our minds were sown in childhood. We were raised by authority figures—parents, teachers, or mentors—who projected their own limitations and paradigms onto us. For many, this manifests as a generational belief that safety equals a traditional career path: find a job, master one skill, stay employed, and stay safe.
The idea of inventing a career or becoming self-employed sits so far outside that paradigm that we don’t realize we’re still holding onto those limiting beliefs until we’re much older. To move past the Sphinx, you need to perform a belief stocktake. Sit down with a journal and write down everything you heard growing up about money, career, and success. Look at each belief and ask:
- Does this serve me?
- Does this bring me joy?
- Is this helping me grow?
If a belief doesn’t pass the test, it’s time to “recycle” it. We acknowledge it, thank it for trying to keep us safe, and intentionally replace it with something that supports our current journey.
The Six Brands of Self-Doubt
While we often use the term “imposter syndrome,” that term is technically reserved for high achievers who feel they’ve fluked their success. What most of us experience are the six brands of self-doubt, which correlate to the six lines in a Human Design or Gene Keys profile. Understanding which “brand” you carry helps you recognize the Sphinx’s riddle for what it is.
- Line 1 (The Investigator): The riddle is, “I don’t know enough yet.” You feel you must be a world-class expert before you can share anything.
- Line 2 (The Natural): The riddle is, “Why would anyone care?” Because your gifts come so easily to you, you struggle to see them as uniquely valuable.
- Line 3 (The Martyr/Adaptor): The riddle is, “What if they realize I’m a hot mess?” You fear your “cracks” will show and you’ll be exposed as broken.
- Line 4 (The Opportunist): The riddle is, “What if they don’t like the real me?” This is the core wound of rejection; you may reject others first to avoid the pain of being disliked.
- Line 5 (The Heretic): The riddle is, “What if I don’t live up to their expectations?” You carry a heavy weight of responsibility and fear disappointing those who look up to you.
- Line 6 (The Role Model): The riddle is, “What if it’s not as perfect as my vision?” You may stay in your “ivory tower” of ideals because reality feels too messy to engage with.
How to Duck Past the Sphinx
The Sphinx loses its power when we shrink the scope of what we’re trying to do. If the riddle is “Who are you to do this big, famous thing?” you can answer, “I’m not trying to be famous; I’m just trying to write one page or impact one person.” When we focus on micro-goals, the self-doubt becomes much quieter.
The Archetype of the Shapeshifter
To bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be, you must activate the Shapeshifter. If “all the world’s a stage,” then you are a divine actor. Every professional you admire had to “pretend” to be a professional the very first time they stepped on a stage or published a book.
You are already an actor. You shift roles depending on whether you are at home, with friends, or at work. Expanding your repertoire to include the role of “leader,” “writer,” or “entrepreneur” is simply adding another costume to your collection.
The “I Wonder” Exercise
Because our minds struggle to distinguish between a vivid imagination and reality, you can “trick” your frequency into shifting. Try this future-pacing exercise:
- Think of your goal (e.g., being a successful author).
- Ask yourself: “I wonder what it would feel like to be completely confident in this role?”
- Let your mind drift into that feeling.
Once your body remembers that feeling of confidence, you shift your frequency. You start attracting opportunities aligned with that version of yourself.
Moving Forward
You have something to contribute today. You don’t need to wait until your wisdom is fully embodied or your skills are perfect to make an impact. If you keep listening to the Sphinx, you make zero impact. If you solve the riddle—by shrinking the goal, embracing the shapeshifter, and imagining the feeling—you can finally move past the obstacle and continue your journey.
